General Language

The four key skills of reading, listening, writing and speaking are practised systematically, using real-life examples; important grammar modules are studied in depth. You will speak about topics such as psychology, the law and criminality, painting and the theatre, as well as science, research and society. You will encounter literary texts as well as reportage, opinion pieces, specialist texts and encyclopaedia entries; you will also listen to radio programmes, scenes from plays, songs and expert panel discussions. In role-playing exercises, you will conduct surveys, take part in discussions or hold a short speech, learning useful conversational skills. You will practise your writing skills by composing press reports, letters (letter to the editor, personal and formal letters, e-mail), a speech or a news release. Grammar exercises will include broadening existing knowledge by practising noun-verb combinations as well as nominal/verbal style; you will take a fresh look at prepositions and the genitive, and get an overview of the various functions of “es”.